ROSE, PETE

born April 14, 1942, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. Pete Rose, 1985. byname of Peter Edward Rose American professional baseball player who was noted for his all-around ability and enthusiasm. In 1985 he exceeded Ty Cobb's record of hits in a career (4,191) to become baseball's player with the most hits. Rose was directed to sports in his childhood by his father, and at the age of eight Rose began to play in organized youth baseball. At his father's insistence, he became a switch hitter (either right- or left-handed) at the age of 10. He played second base at Western Hills (Cincinnati) High School and at the age of 18 signed with the National League Cincinnati Reds. After three seasons in the minor leagues, Rose came up to the Reds in 1963 and for nine years (196573) batted more than .300. He played second base, the outfield, third base, and first base (exclusively from 1980), leading the league in fielding in 1970, 1974, 1976, and 1980 and leading both leagues in 1971. In 1979 he went to the Philadelphia Phillies. By 1984 Rose had had 17 seasons in which he was at bat 600 times or more and had collected 3,990 hits. After that season he was released by the Phillies. In the 1984 season he played for the Montreal Expos, but he made his hitting record in 1985 as player-manager of the Cincinnati Reds. By the time he retired as a player in 1986, Rose had a record career total of 4,256 hits. His other records included most games played, 3,562; most times at bat, 14,053; and most seasons with 200 hits or more, 10. His lifetime batting average was .303. In 1989 Rose came under investigation by professional baseball's commissioner because of reports that he had bet repeatedly on major league baseball teams, including his own Cincinnati Reds, in the mid-1980s. In August 1989 Rose was banned from major league baseball for life as a consequence of the investigation.